Inflatable pocket arrangement for selectively closing a passageway

ABSTRACT

Device for closing automatically controlled pedestrian passages, comprising two pockets having elastic lateral walls arranged facing each other on the lateral edges of the passage, each pocket being provided with inflating means.

[22 Filed:

Turpin et al.

[ 1 INFLATABLE POCKET ARRANGEMENT FOR SELECTIVELY CLOSING A PASSAGEWAY v [75] Inventors: Pierre Turpin, Bures sur Yvette;

Albert Neel, Saint Michel sur Orge, both of France [73] Assignee: Compagnle Generale D'Automatlsme, Paris, France May 13, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 143,120

[] Foreign Application Priority Data A Aug. 21, 1973 Primary Examiner-Kenneth Downey Attorney Craig, Antonelli & Hill May 13, 1970 France 7017432 1 i I June 11. 1910 France 7021455 [57] I ABSTRACT July 10, 1970 France.... 7025847 Device f closin 1 I g automat1cally controlled pedestrian Oct. 19, 1970 France 7037567 passages, comprising two p k having elastic lateral walls arranged facing each other on the lateral edgesof [52] U.S. Cl .1 49/35, 49/34i:)9/g2658, the passage each pocket being provided with inflating 51 1111. C1 1:050 /00 [5 8] Field of Search 49/25, 34, 68, 35; l0 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 12 28 15 14 1 1v 1 1 4 5 a H2 F 1-. 104 1 105 111 M Q I 1 -LZIIII1'1111 1 $0 PAIENTEDMZI ms 3.753.317

' sum 1 m a \NNENTORS'.

RTTO KNEW 3 MIME-0mm um 3753.317

SHEET 2 OF 4 \NVENTO R$Z PHERRE TQRWN RLBERT NHE-L w. m1 m XRXSISL Pn-voRNEws PATENTEB M2! M3 sues! u or 4 FIGS FIG-L6 \NVENTORS:

PERRE. TUJRPNQ usan? NQEL w m QM gnaw,

RYTORNEY$ 1 INFLATABLE POCKET ARRANGEMENT FOR SELECTIVELY CLOSING A PASSAGEWAY The present invention concerns apparatus for selectively closing or at least partially closing a passageway.

Such apparatus is already in widespreaduse for controlling entry to an area or enclosure to which entry may only be made by persons authorized in some way. This authorization may be by the purchase of a ticket or the payment of a toll, for example. One application of apparatus of this type is for controlling entrance to an underground railway system.

Apparatus for selectively closing passageways exists in various-forms. Turnstiles are a well-known example, as are automatically operated door-type barriers such as one finds at the entrance to platforms on the Paris Metropolitan Railway system.

In use, these apparatus, which for convenience will be usually referred to in the specification as barriers, permit free passage to the area or enclosure after checking the validity ,of a ticket or receiving a coin,

. credit card, token or the like. They may also be arranged to permit the entrance of persons until the area or enclosure holds a maximum number, thereafter closing to prevent further entry until such times as the maximum number is reduced. As is the case in the Paris Metro system, the barriers may also be used to prevent access to a railway platform while a train is entering, resting at and leaving the platform.

In such applications, the apparatus is linked to a device for checking the validity of tickets, for receiving coins, tokens or credit cards, for counting the number of persons passing through the barrier, or to such other automatic control systems as may be appropriate.

Such barriers are widely used for controlling the movement of pedestrians, but they also find application in the control of vehicle movements or in the control of other transported articles such as parcels, for exam? ple.

In many applications it is the practice to leave the barrier fully open until such time as, for example, a

' would-be Metro passenger tries to pass without a ticket. At such time the barrier is closed to prevent the entry of such a person. Otherwise, being permanently open, the barrier permits a high throughput.

In such a case, as well as a device for checking the validity of a ticket or noting the reception of a token or the like, a system checks that for each person a ticket is presented and that for each ticket presented, only one person passes through the passageway.

One disadvantage of the existing forms of barrier is that a slow closure may not be sufficiently rapid to prevent entry of a person or article to be excluded, while a rapid and possible violent closure may cause injury or damage to the person or article to be stopped.

The present invention is intended to provide a barrier with which a rapid closure can be made with reduced risk of injury or damage.

In accordance with the invention, apparatus for selectively closing or at least partially closing a passageway includes a support for an inflatable pocket arranged so that when inflated, it at least partially closes the passageway and when deflated, it leaves the passageway clear, the apparatus also including an arrangement selectively operable to inflate and deflate the pocket.

The invention will now be described in more detail, byway of examples only and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse section through a first form of barrier;

FIG. 2 shows part of the barrier of FIG. 1 in tive;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show three forms of inflatable pocket for use with the barrier; and

FIG. 6 shows apparatus where movement in either direction through the passageway may be necessary.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a passageway l is defined by spaced parallel partitions 2 and 3 carrying on their inside faces and at portions intermediate their ends respective inflatable pockets 4 and 5. The pockets 4 and 5 are arranged opposite one another and each is so arranged that when inflated, it partially closes the passageway and when deflated, it leaves the passageway perspecclear. When both pockets are fully inflated, the passageway is entirely closed, as clearly seen in FIGS. 1

. and 2.

In FIG. 1, a further passageway 101 parallel to passageway l is shown, being defined by the partition 3 and a further partition 103. The passageway 101 may be closed by inflatable pockets 104 and 105, in the same manner as passageway 1 is closed by pockets 4 and 5. One face of the inflatable pocket 4 lies against the rear face of a recess 6 in the partition 2. Pocket 5 is similarly arranged in a recess 7 in partition 3. Pockets 104 and 105 are similarly mounted.

The apparatus includes an arrangement selectively operable to inflate and deflate the pockets. The arrangement for each pocket is housed in the respective partition, and a partition such as 3 provided with more than one pocket has a common inflation arrangement.

In partition 2, the inflation arrangement includes a compressed air chamber 14 connected to the interior of the pocket 4 by a pipe 8 connected to an inlet 12 of the chamber 14 through a valve 10. A device 22 for cutting down the noise caused by sudden inflation of the pocket 4 is mounted in pipe 8 between the valve 10 and the pocket. The pipe 8 ends in a device for directing air issuing from chamber 14 uniformly over the interior of the pocket 4, to ensure a uniform inflation. Two forms of device are shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Pocket 4 is also connected to an expansion chamber 18 by a pipe 16 including a valve 24 and a further noise reduction device 26.

Pocket 4 is also provided with a safety valve 28 operable to provide a direct connection of the interior of the pocket to the expansion chamber 18. The safety valve 28 may alternatively be mounted on the pipe 8, between the valve 10 and the noise reducing device 22. The safety valve may be replaced or complemented by a device directly responsive to the pressure within the inflated pocket.

Valves l0 and 24 are suitably of a type whose open and closed periods may be controlled.

In the case of a single passageway, the partition opposite partition 2 would be a mirror image of partition 2 and would be provided with an identical inflation and deflation arrangement. In the case of a partition carrying two pockets, as is the case with partition 3 in FIGS. 1 and 2 (the second passageway 101 is not shown in FIG. 2 for the sake of convenience) a common compressed air chamber 15 may be provided. The inflating and deflating connections are otherwise as already described with reference to partition 2.

The inflatable pockets shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are generally dome-shaped and may have the general form of a hemisphere or one-half of an ellipsoid. These shapes give better resistance to the internal pressure experienced in a fully-inflated pocket. When fully inflated, the foremost portions of the two pockets come into contact and are slightly flattened. Other forms of pocket will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

Pockets 4 and 5 are in a supple but strong elastic material such as rubber or a plastic material. The inside walls of those portions which actually block off the passageway are lined with a material for absorbing any shock waves occurring on inflation, and this material is preferably foamed polyurethane.

In the barrier so far described, the pockets 4 and 5 are selectively inflatable to close off the passageway 1, and pockets 104, 105 may close off passageway 101. The barrier includes a control system 112 for bringing about inflation and deflation of the pockets as and when necessary. For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 1 shows only the connections between systems 112 and valves 25 and 11 in partition 3.

In the present example, the case under consideration is that of a passageway which may only be used on payment of an appropriate toll, a magnetic ticket for example.

On the entry side of the barrier is mounted a device 110 for testing the validity of a ticket. A ticket is placed in an entry slot 27 and after verification is made available again through an outlet slot 28. When the ticket is no longer required after presentation to the barrier, it may be retained within the partition 3, instead of being returned.

If the ticket is valid, an enabling signal is applied to an input of system 112 by an output of the device 110. Thus, the device 110 discriminates between persons who are permitted to pass through the barrier and those who are not permitted to pass.

The apparatus also includes a system for checking the passage of a person or vehicle presenting the ticket, consisting of a light source 30 mounted in partition 2 and directing a light beam across passageway l to a photosensitive element 111 mounted behind an opening in partition 3. When the beam is broken by the passage of a person or vehicle, a signal is applied to another input of system 112.

It will be appreciated that other person or vehicle detecting arrangements may be used than a photosensitive one, a mat in the floor of the passageway operated by the weight of the person or vehicle, for example.

The operation of the barrier so far described is as follows:

In normal operation pockets 4 and 5 (and pockets 104 and 105) are deflated and lie within their respective recesses 6 and 7 to leave the passageway clear. Valves 10 and 11 are closed. Valves 24 and 25 may be either closed or connecting the respective pockets to their respective expansion chambers. The passageway l is clear for the passage of a person or vehicle.

If for any person or vehicle the conditions for entry are not fulfilled, system 1 12 opens valves 10 and I! simultaneously and pockets 4 and 5 are inflated to close the passageway. The conditions for entry will not be fulfilled by an invalid ticket or by a person or vehicle attempting to pass without a ticket.

The safety valve provided for each pocket ensures a direct connection of the pocket to its respective expansion chamber in the case of an accidental overpressure. If, for example, re-inflation of a pocket is called for before it is fully deflated, the safety valve automatically avoids an excessive pressure build-up. The same applies in the case of failure of the system 112 or of any of the inflation controlling valves.

When conditions for entry become normal again, for example if the barrier is re-set by someone investigating the stoppage, system 112 closes valves 10 and 11 and opens valves 24 and 25 to deflate the pockets.

FIG. 3 is a transverse section through another form of inflatable pocket for the barrier. The pockets 4 and 5 are parallelepiped shaped when fully inflated, having rear faces located in respective recesses 6 and 7 in partitions 2 and 3 and front faces which come in contact when the pockets are fully inflated. The four side faces are formed as Concertina-like folds 20.

The mating faces of the two pockets are provided with flexible projections 21 directed towards the entry of the passageway l and serve to prevent forcible separation of the two faces when in contact.

By way of example, each pocket may have a height of some 60 centimeters and thickness of some 40 centimeters, and the pressure in the fully inflated pockets may be of the order of 300 grammes per square centimeter.

A single valve 10 is mounted between the inflation pipe 8 and the pipe 12 leading to the compressed air chamber 14. An exhaust pipe 16 also leads to the valve 10, which is selectively operable to connect the pocket 4 to the compressed air chamber 14 or the expansion chamber 18.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show schematically two arrangements for ensuring uniform distribution of the compressed air during inflation of the pockets.

Referring to FIG. 4, a set of short pipes 81 extend partially into pocket 4, each pipe 81 being connected at one end to the conduit 8 and having its other end directed towards the interior of the pocket. The arrangement of the pipes 81 provides the uniform inflation. With this arrangement, the high-pressure air from pipe 8 does not impinge on a restricted area of the pocket, which might lead to excessive wear or damage, but is distributed in a substantially uniform manner over most of the internal surface of the pocket which will be uniformly inflated and well stretched.

The pipes 81 may be rigid, in which case they will not extend outside the recess 6 in partition 2. Alternatively, these pipes 81 may be flexible, in which case they may extend beyond the recess and terminate close to the inside walls of the pocket. Their free ends may be connected together and to the side walls of the pockets so as to guide them to a required position during inflation. This may also be done by making those portions of pipes 81 nearest pipe 8 rigid or partially rigid.

Referring to FIG. 5, the stream of compressed air may be evenly distributed by means of a flat grill 82 mounted inside the pocket 4 and attached to its side walls. The airstream from pipe 8 is divided into a number of sub-streams each passing through one perforation of the grill. The arrangement of the perforations and their respective dimensions may be so chosen as to obtain the best distribution of the air for the shape of the grill is made of a flexible material,.it may be mounted close to the forward face 41 of the pocket, or it may be rigid in which case it would be mounted close to the rear face, as shown in FIG. 5. In this case it will remain within the recess 6. The grill may be plane, as shown in FIG. 5 or may have aform corresponding to that of the fully insulated pocket or at least the front wall of the pocket when fully inflated.

While in FIGS. 4 and 5 only pocket 4 has been described in detail, it will be appreciated that the cooperating pocket 5 is identically arranged.

FIG. 6 shows a barrier suitable for use where the direction of movement in the passageway may be reversed. The barrier has two sets of pockets 50, 51 and 40, 41. At one end of the passageway l is a device 43 for testing the validity of a ticket or the like with an arrangement 44 for detecting the passage of a person. The opposite end of the passageway is provided with a similar validation device 53 and person detector system 54. These may be as described in more detail above.

The detection system 43, 44 maybe associated with either set of pockets, as may the system 53, 54. For example, if system 43, 44 controls pockets 40, 41, entry in the direction shown by arrow 45 is controlled by these pockets. System 53, 54 with pockets 50, 51 would then control entrance in direction shown by arrow 55.

By changing over the set of pockets associated with each system a longer response time is used, as a person or vehicle entering the passageway without payment or other authorization has further to go before reaching the inflated pockets.

It will be appreciated that a single set of pockets may be provided, controlled by each of systems 43, 44 and 53, 55.

While the barriers just described in detail each feature a pair of pockets for closing off a passageway, it

will be realized that a single pocket may be used where the width of the passageway is compatible with providing a firm barrier with only one pocket.

While we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown'and described herein but intend to cover all. such changes and modifications as are obvious mom of ordinary skill in for inflating and deflating said pockets including a supply chamber storing a fluid under pressure, an expansion chamber, and respective valved inflation and deflation conduit means for selectively connecting said pockets to said supply and expansion chambers, including valves selectively operable for inflating and deflating said pockets, said inflation conduit means terminating at the pocket end in means for distributing the compressed fluid in a substantially uniform manner over the internal surface of said pockets during inflation first means for detecting whether the object or person is to be permitted to pass through said passageway, second means for detecting the presence of the object or person, and third means for actuating said control means in accordance with the logical response of said first and second means, wherein said third means normally maintains said pocket in the deflated condition, said second means being connected to operate said control means to inflate said pocket in response to detecting the presence of the object or person in the absence of said first means detecting a characteristic indicating permission of the object or person to pass.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one of said valved conduit means includes a device for suppressing noise occurring on inflation or deflation of the pocket.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said distribution device comprises a set of pipes joined at a set of first ends to said inflation conduit means, the set of second ends of said pipes being directed towards the internal surface of the pocket so as to provide said uniform distribution of pressure.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pocket is mounted in a recess in said support means, and wherein said pipes are at least partially rigid and the rigid portions do not extend beyond the recess in said support means.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said distribution means comprises a grill. mounted inside the pocket transversely of the outlet of said inflation conduit means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said pocket is mounted in a recess in said support means, and wherein said grill is rigid and is mounted so as to remain within the recess in said support means when said pocket is inflated and deflated.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the shape of said grill corresponds generally to that of the front wall of said inflated pocket.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pocket has the form of a part-spherical dome.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said pocket is dome-shaped with a generally ellipsoidal form.

- 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the forward face'of each pocket is provided with flexible projections directed towards the passageway entry.

t 4 i i :lt 

1. Apparatus for selectively closing a passageway to the extent necessary to prevent passage of an object or person therethrough, comprising support means defining a passage-way, a pair of inflatable pockets mounted on said support means in opposed relationship on respective sides of the passageway, said pockets being dimensioned and spaced such that when both pockets are fully inflated the passageway is closed, control means for inflating and deflating said pockets including a supply chamber storing a fluid under pressure, an expansion chamber, and respective valved inflation and deflation conduit means for selectively connecting said pockets to said supply and expansion chambers, including valves selectively operable for inflating and deflating said pockets, said inflation conduit means terminating at the pocket end in means for distributing the compressed fluid in a substantially uniform manner over the internal surface of said pockets during inflation first means for detecting whether the object or person is to be permitted to pass through said passageway, second means for detecting the presence of the object or person, and third means for actuating said control means in accordance with the logical response of said first and second means, wherein said third means normally maintains said pocket in the deflated condition, said second means being connected to operate said control means to inflate said pocket in response to detecting the presence of the object or person in the absence of said first means detecting a characteristic indicating permission of the object or person to pass.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one of said valved conduit means includes a device for suppressing noise occurring on inflation or deflation of the pocket.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said distribution device comprises a set of pipes joined at a set of first ends to said inflation conduit means, the set of second ends of said pipes being directed towards the internal surface of the pocket so as to provide said uniform distribution of pressure.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pocket is mounted in a recess in said support means, and wherein said pipes are at least partially rigid and the rigid portions do not extend beyond the recess in said support means.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said distribution means comprises a grill mounted inside the pocket transversely of the outlet of said inflation conduit means.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said pocket is mounted in a recess in said support means, and wherein said grill is rigid and is mounted so as to remain within the recess in said support means when said pocket is inflated and deflated.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the shape of said grill corresponds generally to that of the front wall of said inflated pocket.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pocket has the form of a part-spherical dome.
 9. ApparAtus as claimed in claim 1, in which said pocket is dome-shaped with a generally ellipsoidal form.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the forward face of each pocket is provided with flexible projections directed towards the passageway entry. 